Humpback whale found dead near Virginia Beach

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center's Stranding Team responded Sunday morning to a report of a whale in distress in Virginia Beach just offshore in the Chesapeake Bay west of the Lynnhaven Pier.

They discovered that the whale was deceased.

According to Mark Swingle, the aquarium's Director of Research & Conservation and the stranding team leader, the whale is a young juvenile humpback less than 30 feet in length.

Swingle said there were no visible signs indicating why the whale died.

Photographer Tom Turley took stills and drone video of the whale. He posted on his Facebook page that at one point, a Navy SEAL went into the water to try and help the whale.

The whale's body was towed a few blocks further west, then pulled up on the beach. A necropsy to determine the cause of death will be conducted Monday morning.

According to the aquarium's website, strandings "... can be due to natural causes or, sometimes, human interactions. Stranding events provide unique opportunities for scientists to examine animals that are difficult or nearly impossible to study in the wild."